Hard Talk – Healthcare cost burden

By Nasik Swami: Payroll tax on GPs, increasing costs for GP visits, and a complicated Medicare scheme—is our health system failing our communities and the most vulnerable? Are the increasing healthcare costs becoming a deterrent for people in our district to visit a GP/doctor and seek treatment when our public hospitals are already overcrowded? Who should be held accountable for the burden of the extra healthcare costs people in country towns are facing? The Royal Australian College of GPs and the Australian Medical Association have warned the payroll tax would force clinics to pass on the cost to patients, end bulk billing, or shut down completely. In this edition of Hard Talk, The News digs deep into the much talked about GP payroll tax, the increasing cost of seeing a GP in country towns like Naracoorte, and a review of our Medicare system. We asked the SA Health Minister Chris […]

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“Let Tom Dennis pay for it”

A fierce public backlash has erupted over a Naracoorte Lucindale Council motion to consider spending between $5,000 and $7,000 on a formal portrait for each mayoral tenure.

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Ratepayers face undisclosed weir bill

Naracoorte Lucindale ratepayers could be forced to fork out an undisclosed amount above the council’s $268,000 budget for a creek project designed, in part, to improve the town’s appearance and amenity.

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Olivia shines at national cattle judging finals

Australia’s top young beef cattle judges and paraders (aged 15-25) have been crowned on day one of the 2026 Agricultural Shows Australia National Young Judges and Paraders Championships at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka).

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Mobile Dialysis Unit expands coverage

South Australia’s Mobile Dialysis Unit is expanding its coverage, travelling to three new locations to provide dialysis services for holidaymakers living with kidney disease.

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Local talent shines in double exhibition

Art enthusiasts who visit the Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery have come to expect outstanding work on show from local photographers in their annual exhibition.

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The “Power of Community”

The “Power of Community” was the theme for Women in Agriculture and Business.

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